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The Alliance invests $40 million in latter half 2024 for local Medi-Cal communities

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Scotts Valley, Calif., December 3, 2024 — Central California Alliance for Health (the Alliance) invested $40 million in the latter half of 2024 to improve access to health care and address social drivers that influence health and wellness for Medi-Cal members. The Alliance is the Medi-Cal managed care health plan for Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties.

“We’re pleased to be able to support our provider network and community-based organizations through a wide range of investments that continue to move us closer to achieving our vision of ‘healthy people, healthy communities,” said Alliance CEO, Michael Schrader. “These investments connect Medi-Cal members to essential, coordinated care and social support and build a stronger Medi-Cal delivery system in the five counties we serve.”

The Alliance is focusing a significant portion of these investments on strengthening two critical aspects of the local health care system: workforce development and facility expansion, benefiting local communities.

Building critical health care infrastructure in the Alliance’s five counties. To ensure access to quality care, the Alliance has awarded $17 million in grants to support the construction and expansion of health care facilities and community-based access points. These grants are also funding essential health care technology and data-sharing to improve member care coordination. Some examples of capital projects recently funded are the relocation and expansion of the Monterey County Health Department’s Marina Clinic and upgraded equipment for Watsonville Community Hospital’s labor and delivery department and emergency department in south Santa Cruz County. Please see here for a complete list of capital grants awarded in October 2024.

Addressing local provider workforce shortages. To address local provider shortages, 30 local health care organizations in five counties were awarded a total of over $9 million in workforce grants. These funds help subsidize hiring of primary care, specialty, allied and behavioral health providers and medical assistants. Please see here for a complete list of workforce grants awarded June through September. These organizations are also able to earn additional dollars for hiring providers who speak Spanish and other languages. The Alliance has also invested $1.6 million in two Community Health Worker (CHW) certificate training programs at UC Merced Extension and Monterey County Workforce Development Board with the potential for more than 500 certified CHWs by 2028.

In addition to this recent $40 million investment in the local Medi-Cal delivery system, the Alliance’s Housing Fund invested $45 million in 2024 into 28 housing projects across the Alliance services areas, resulting in over 1,000 units to people experiencing housing insecurity. Read more here.

About Central California Alliance for Health (the Alliance)

Central California Alliance for Health (the Alliance) is a regional Medi-Cal managed care health plan, established in 1996 to improve access to health care for over 442,000 members in Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties. Using the state’s County Organized Health System (COHS) model, the Alliance delivers innovative community-based health care services by connecting members with providers that deliver timely services and care, focused on prevention, early detection and effective treatment. As an award-winning managed care health plan with a vision of “healthy people, healthy communities,” the Alliance remains focused on efforts to improve access to quality health care for its members. For more information, visit www.thealliance.heath.

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Linda Gorman is the Communications Director at Central California Alliance for Health (the Alliance). She oversees the Alliance’s strategic communications plan across all channels and audiences, identifying opportunities to raise awareness about the Alliance and key health topics. Linda has been with the Alliance since 2019 and has over 20 years of marketing and communications experience in the not-for-profit, insurance, and health care sectors. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Communications and Leadership.